Resiliently mounted basketball practice and rebound ring



W. L. DIX

RESILIENTLY MOUNTED BASKETBALL PRACTICE AND REBOUND RING Filed April 13, 1965 INVENTOR, WAYNE LEE DIX United States Patent 3,348,840 RESILIENTLY MOUNTED BASKETBALL PRAC- TICE AND REBOUND RING Wayne Lee Dix, 1820 S. 4th St., Terre Haute, Ind. 47802 Filed Apr. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 447,733 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-15) ABSTRACT OF TirE DISCLOSURE Combination practice ring and rebound ring for basketball goal having a ring smaller than a basketball goal ring but larger than a basketball, with resilient straps on the practice ring having hOOks to supportingly connect the practice ring to a goal ring, and with a further resilient strap on the practice ring adapted for being detachably connected across a diameter thereof.

This invention relates to athletic equipment and is particularly concerned with a practice ring for use with a basketball goal, including means for converting the practice ring to a rebound practice device.

It is customary, in basketball practice, to place an undersized ring on the basketball goal ring to obtain proficiency in shooting basketball goals. It is furthermore the practice, on occasion, to cover the basketball goal ring so that the ball will rebound therefrom to obtain practice in rebounding. Heretofore, rebounding devices have been known and likewise practice rings have been known, but no combination thereof has been made. Such a combination is proposed by the present invention.

Heretofore, the practice rings and rebound devices have been clamped rigidly to the basketball goal ring and clamp screws and the like have been employed for this purpose. Such clamp screws, however, can damage the basketball goal ring and damage the net hanging therefrom so that subsequently the net may fail or the goal ring may have roughened places thereon which might tend to scuff the ball.

The present invention, therefore, further proposes the provision of novel mounting means for mounting a practice ring or a rebounding device, or a combination thereof, constructed according to the present invention, on a basketball goal ring in such a manner that neither the goal ring or the net hanging therefrom will in any way be damaged.

The present invention still further proposes the provision of a combination basketball practice ring and re bounding device which is inexpensive to manufacture and which has long life, and which can quite readily be mounted on a basketball goal ring or removed therefrom.

The exact nature of the present invention will become more clearly apparent upon reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a basketball backboard and goal ring and net with a device according to the present invention mounted on the goal ring;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view looking down on top of the goal ring with the practice device, according to the present invention, mounted thereon;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view indicated by line III-III on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view indicated by line IV-IV on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing a modified form of hook; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view showing a modified form of the support for a strap.

Patented Oct. 24, 1967 Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, in FIGURE 1 there is shown a conventional basketball goal ring 10 having a net 12 dependent therefrom. Ring 10 is supported on backboard 14 by the support structure 16. As will be seen in FIGURE 1, there is mounted on the goal ring,- so as to be concentric therewith, a practice device generally indicated at 18 and which is constructed according to the present invention.

In actual practice goal ring 10 is 18 inches in diameter and practice ring 18' is 10 /2 inches in diameter. The ball employed is 9 inches in diameter so that accurate shooting is required to get the ball through a' practice ring.

Reference to FIGURES 2,- 3 and 4 taken together with FIGURE 1, will show that practice ring 18 comprises the ring part proper 20 which is supported concentric with goal ring 10 by a plurality of strap elements 22 extending radially from ring 20 to ring 10. The strap elements 22 are connected at their ends adjacent ring 20 to dependent loops 24, which may be welded to ring 20. At their other ends, straps 22 carry hooks 26 adapted for hooking over goal ring 10. The straps themselves are elastic, being formed of a material, such as elastic webbing, which is looped through the loops 24 and through the apertures 28 in hooks 26 and then riveted as by rivets 30 or sewed in place by stitching.

The straps 22 have suflicien't elasticity to permit the hooks 26 to be hooked over ring 10 and also readily to be removed therefrom while still supporting practice ring 20 in the center of ring 10 and without any substantial sagging of the said straps. Four of the straps 22 are illustr'ated but it will be understood that as few as three thereof could be employed and more could be utilized if desired.

The practice ring of the present invention, in addition to the aforementioned support arrangement, is characterized in the provision of two other loops 32 upstanding therefrom at diametrically opposite points of ring 20. A rebounding strap 34 is provided, having one end looped through one of loops 32 and then riveted by rivets 36 or sewed permanently to connect strap 34 to the said loop. The other end of the strap is looped through an opening in a hook member 38 similar to the previously described member 26. This end of the strap is also riveted as by rivet means 40 or is sewed to connect hook member 38 permanently to strap 34.

Strap 34 is also elastic so that the hook member 38 can be engaged with loop 32, thereby closing off ring 20 from balls entering the ring whereby the device becomes a rebound device. On the other hand, when hook member 38 is disconnected from its loop 32, the ring 20 is open and it can, then, be employed for goal shooting practice.

The described device is simply made as by forming mild steel to the proper configuration and welding the parts together and, then fixing the straps to the device as described, said straps preferably being elastic webbing or some other suitable strong elastic material. The hook members can readily be formed of sheet metal.

The device is inexpensive and has long life and can easily be mounted on a goal ring or can be removed therefrom and does not in any Way damage the goal ring or the net hanging from the goal ring. If, in the course of use of the device, the elastic elements become worn or defective, they can easily be replaced, thereby to restore the device to full operating efiiciency.

Hooks 26 and 38 may take the form illustrated in FIGURE 5 which shows a hook 26a consisting of a length of wire bent to a hook shape.

The loops 32 which support strap 34 may advantageously be quite short as shown as 32a in FIGURE 6. The short loops prevent interference with the ball and the whole structure provides for a natural rebounding action of the ball when strap 34 is in blocking position. When strap 34 is not in blocking position short loops 32a offer the minimum interference to passage of the ball.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions; and accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a practice device for mounting on a basketball goal ring; a practice ring smaller in diameter than the goal ring, a plurality of strips. of elastic material distributed circumferentially about the practice ring and each having one end secured to the practice ring, and a hook mem-o ber secured to said other end of each said strip, saidhook members'being adapted for engaging the basketball goal ring to support the practice ring coaxial therewith in a plane at least as high as that of said goal ring, ,an additional strip of elastic material adapted for extending substantially diametrically across said practice ring and having means at one end permanently connecting the said additional strip to the practice ring and means at the other end for detachably engaging the practice ring while said additional strip extends diametrically across said practice ring.

2. In a practice device for detachably mounting on a basketball goal ring; a practice ring larger in diameter than a basketball but smaller in diameter than said goal ring, loopelements secured to circumferentially spaced points of said practice ring, longitudinally resilient strap members each having one end secured to a respective loop element and each having a hook member secured to the other end thereof, said hook members being adapted for engaging a basketball goal ring to support the practice ring in coaxial relation thereto and in a plane at least as high as that of said goal ring, other loop elements secured to said practice ring .at diametrically opposite points thereof, and an additional longitudinally resilient strap member having one end secured to one of said other 4 loop elements and having hook means at its other end for detachable connection with the second'of said other loop elements.

3. In a practice device for detachably mounting on a basketball goal ring; a practice ring larger in diameter than a basketball but smaller in diameter than said goal ring, loop elements secured to circumferentially spaced points of said practice ring, strap members each having one end secured to a respective loop element and each having a hook member secured to. the other end thereof, said hook members being adapted for resiliently engaging a basketball goal ring to support the practice ring in coaxial relation thereto and substantially coplanar therewith, other loop elements secured to said practice ring at diametrically opposite points thereof, and an additional strap member having one end secured to one of said other loop elements and having hook means at its other end for detachable connection with the second of said other loop elements, all of said strap members being resilient, said first mentioned loop elements depending from said practice ring and said other loop elements upstanding from said ring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,487,265 3/1924 Reese 273--1.5 1,544,453 6/1925 Harbison 273l.5 2,039,794 5/1936 Hayden 273-1.5 2,694,572 11/1954 Crisp 273--1.5 2,708,576 5/1955 Verkuilen 2731.5 2,918,283 12/1959 Marschalk 273-1.5 3,173,687 3/1965 Hair 2731.5

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

S. NATIER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PRACTICE DEVICE FOR MOUNTING ON A BASKETBALL GOAL RING; A PRACTICE RING SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN THE GOAL RING, A PLURALITY OF STRIPS OF ELASTIC MATERIAL DISTRIBUTED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT THE PRACTICE RING AND EACH HAVING ONE END SECURED TO THE PRACTICE RING, AND A HOOK MEMBER SECURED TO SAID OTHER END OF EACH SAID STRIP, SAID HOOK MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED FOR ENGAGING THE BASKETBALL GOAL RING TO SUPPORT THE PRACTICE RING COAXIAL THEREWITH IN A PLANE AT LEAST AS HIGH AS THAT OF SAID GOAL RING, AN ADDITIONAL STRIP OF ELASTIC MATERIAL ADAPTED FOR EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY DIAMETRICALLY ACROSS SAID PRACTICE RING AN HAVING MEANS AT ONE END PERMANENTLY CONNECTING THE SAID ADDITIONAL STRIP OF THE PRACTICE RING AND MEANS AT THE OTHER END FOR DETACHABLY ENGAGING THE PRACTICE RING WHILE SAID ADDITIONAL STRIP EXTENDS DIAMETRICALLY ACROSS SAID PRACTICE RING. 